Zheng Keshuang

Zheng Keshuang
Name	Zheng Keshuang
Native name	鄭克塽
Birth date	1670
Death date	1707
Birth place	Fujian
Death place	Beijing
Title	Prince of Yanping
Predecessor	Zheng Jing
Successor	abolished
Dynasty	Ming dynasty loyalists / Kingdom of Tungning

Zheng Keshuang was the last ruling prince of the Kingdom of Tungning on Taiwan. A descendant of the maritime leader Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong) and scion of the Zheng dynasty (Ming)}}, he presided over the final years of Tungning before surrendering to the Qing dynasty. His flight, capitulation, and relocation to Beijing marked the end of major Ming loyalist resistance and the consolidation of Qing authority in the Taiwan Strait.

Early life and family

Born in Fujian into the powerful Zheng clan, he was son of a branch of the household loyal to the late Zheng Jing and related by blood to Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong). His upbringing took place amid ongoing conflicts involving the Southern Ming, Manchu conquest of China, and the maritime conflicts against Dutch Formosa forces. The Zheng family maintained ties with notable figures such as Shi Lang and courted alliances with local elites in Tainan, Anping, and across Fujian. His household was embedded in networks that included members of the Zheng military aristocracy, merchant families in Quanzhou and Zhangzhou, and clerical supporters who had served under Zheng Zhilong.

Rise to power and succession

Following the death of Zheng Jing, succession disputes fractured the court in Tainan Prefecture and led to jockeying among princes, generals, and mandarins. Zheng Keshuang emerged as claimant supported by factions that included remnants of the Zheng naval command and court officials who looked to continuity with the policies of Koxinga and Zheng Zhilong. Rival claimants and influential commanders such as Zheng Kezang and proponents of alignment with figures like Shi Lang shaped the succession dynamics. The internal contest occurred against the backdrop of Qing consolidation on the mainland after the Battle of Shanhai Pass, the fall of Nanjing to the Qing dynasty, and the shifting allegiances of maritime polities.

Reign as Prince of Yanping

As Prince of Yanping, seated in Tainan, he inherited a polity whose legitimacy rested on Ming loyalism and control of maritime trade routes linking Taiwan to ports in Fujian, Zhejiang, and Guangdong. His brief reign faced military pressure from Qing expeditions led by commanders like Shi Lang and diplomatic isolation as the Qing dynasty sought to neutralize Ming loyalist enclaves. Policies during his rule reflected attempts to maintain Zheng naval strength, regulate commerce with Southeast Asian entrepôts such as Batavia, administer fortifications at Anping Fort and recruit officials familiar with administerial practices inherited from the late Ming dynasty bureaucracy. Internal governance involved interactions with clerical elites, local gentry in Tainan Prefecture, and merchant communities in Liuqiu and Penghu.

Surrender to the Qing and aftermath

Facing overwhelming military pressure from the Qing naval campaign and the strategic victory of Shi Lang at sea, he capitulated, formally surrendering the Kingdom of Tungning to the Qing dynasty. The surrender marked a turning point comparable in consequence to the fall of other Ming loyalist centers such as Zheng Zhilong’s earlier submission and the broader collapse of Southern Ming resistance. Following terms negotiated after negotiations influenced by officials from Fujian, he was transported to Beijing along with other members of the Zheng household, and the Qing integrated former Tungning territories and personnel into imperial administration, affecting shipping lanes to Xiamen and influence over the Taiwan Strait.

Life in Beijing and later years

In Beijing, he lived under Qing supervision and was bestowed titles and allowances by the Qing court in a pattern similar to how the dynasty managed absorbed elites like Kangxi Emperor’s treatment of former opponents. He became part of a cohort of former Ming loyalists and naval officers resettled in the capital, interacting with Qing officials, Manchu bannermen, and Han Chinese literati. His later years included ceremonial obligations at the imperial court, restricted mobility compared with his former maritime command, and familial adjustments as members of the Zheng household integrated into Qing society in Shenyang and other regional centers. Death in 1707 closed his personal arc, while his descendants dispersed into the Qing administrative and social milieu.

Legacy and historical assessments

Historians assess his legacy in the contexts of the end of Ming loyalism, the Qing consolidation of maritime frontiers, and Taiwan’s transition from a Ming loyalist stronghold to a Qing prefecture. Scholars compare his capitulation to other surrenders such as Zheng Zhilong’s submission and note the roles of figures like Shi Lang in altering regional power balances. Debates revolve around whether his surrender preserved lives and property at the cost of dynastic fidelity, and how the incorporation of Tungning influenced Qing policies toward Taiwan, Amoy (Xiamen), and maritime trade regulation. His tenure is cited in studies of Koxinga’s legacy, the transformation of Taiwanese identity, and the Qing imperial strategies toward former adversaries.

Category:Kingdom of Tungning Category:Qing dynasty people Category:People from Fujian